Nolan Bolton, Dock Mennonite peaking as playoffs near

Thursday

May 9, 2019 at 5:59 PM

A weekly look at Bucks County area high school baseball

Dock Mennonite Academy (previously known as Christopher Dock) has won four straight District One titles.

Nolan Bolton has been a part of the last three, and as a four-year starter who recently achieved the 100-hit milestone for his career he's definitely cemented his place among the school's top baseball players.

And that's an impressive list, which includes the likes of Erik Kratz, Greg Folgia and Ryan Seiz. Kratz is a 10-year Major League catcher and former Phillie, who is currently the backup for Buster Posey in San Francisco. Folgia and Seiz were Division I college players who were drafted and played professionally.

Bolton, who will attend and play baseball at Liberty University in Virginia next season, has an impressive resume himself.

Heading into Thursday, Dock is 8-2 and has won five straight since its Bicentennial Athletic League loss to New Hope-Solebury on April 16. Included in that was an impressive 11-4 win over Class 5A power Holy Ghost Prep, which had defeated the Pioneers early in the season.

"We were locked in since the first bell at school," Bolton said after the game. "We just got on the field and we were ready and came together."

Locked in is something that can be used to describe Bolton at the plate this year too. As he went into Thursday hitting .636 (21-for-33) with 19 runs scored, 20 RBIs and eight extra base hits. He's also probably the most avoided hitter in Pennsylvania, as he's drawn 10 walks in 10 games, and at least one in nine of those games.

Bolton's teams haven't made it out of the first round of states, the last two years falling to Philadelphia Catholic League powerhouse Neumann-Goretti.

But there's a lot of work to be done before the Pioneers can think about states, as they have league games scheduled against Church Farm and New Hope-Solebury on Monday and Tuesday. Come the district playoffs, the Pioneers are currently ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A power rankings, ahead of Bristol, MaST Charter and Valley Forge Military Academy in what will be a four-team playoff starting May 21, with only the winner moving on to states.

Down to the wire

The seeding meeting for the District One playoffs is scheduled for Thursday, as the power points will be finalized for the postseason tournaments in each of the classifications.

What we know is that for some teams it's going to be very close and some good baseball teams are going to be left on the outside looking in.

Pennsbury and Souderton are likely the No. 1 and 2 seeds, and it will be very close to see which team gets which spot. Each needs to win their remaining games for that to happen, as Garnet Valley is a close No. 3 heading into Thursday. Hatboro-Horsham, Neshaminy and Bensalem are all in good shape too, ranking anywhere from No. 6 to No. 11.

Central Bucks South is at No. 18, and it played North Penn on Thursday and then closes at home against Central Bucks West on Tuesday. Two wins and the Titans are in, and they probably still make it with a split an an 8-6 league record. What they can't afford are two losses.

Ditto Council Rock South, which is No. 19, with a 5-5 record and still four games left to play in a six-day stretch. Three or four wins and the Golden Hawks are also likely in.

The Council Rock South-Quakertown cross-over game Friday night at Memorial Park is shaping up as a big one. The Panthers went into at No. 21 in the power points with a 6-5 record and only 20 make it. They played at Central Bucks West on Thursday, host CR South on Friday and then play Souderton Monday night. They may have to win all three games, or at least two, to have a shot to squeak into that No. 20 spot.

It's also worth noting behind Quakertown there are five teams currently with seven league losses, including Council Rock North, Central Bucks West and Harry S. Truman. All would have to be considered huge longshots at this point, but if one or more should run the table and get to 7-7 you never know.

Todd Thorpe; tthorpe@theintell.com; @toddrthorpe

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Intelligencer ~ One Oxford Valley, 2300 East Lincoln Highway, Suite 500D, Langhorne, PA, 19047 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service